The Art Degree
by mufire
Summary: College AU. Killian Jones is a nude model for Emma's advanced art class. While Emma lusts over him, she is also hyper-aware of the fact that she already has a boyfriend, Neal Gold. To add more complications, she finds out Killian is having an affair with her boyfriend's mother. But when Mrs. Gold goes missing, Emma and Killian's lives become even more entwined.
1. I'm Not Letting You Go Alone

**A/N: I'm redoing this story, because I decided it deserved a proper outline and end-goal. Therefore, some details will be changed, along with timeline issues. Thanks for your patience!**

* * *

The canvas scraped against the wood of the easel as Emma Swan began setting up for her advanced painting class. She yawned and cursed at herself for putting this class in her schedule. She loathed morning classes. Even though she loved art, and the instructor, it just wasn't on her time frame. But it had been the only time she could fit into her hectic schedule for her second to last semester in college. In about six months or so she would be graduating from the university, so things needed to get wrapped up.

She stuck a paintbrush behind her ear, tucking it in her hair to hold it in place while she began organizing her paints out. She idly wondered if they'd get a live nude model today. In the past it'd been hard to get someone for morning classes- apparently models didn't identify as morning people either, which wasn't surprising, seeing as they were also college students. Today, they were one week in, so Emma rather doubted a model would make an appearance.

She smiled as her best friend, Ruby, walked in and began to get her things ready beside her after an enthusiastic greeting that involved a blindingly wide smile framed by bright red lips. They'd been lucky to get this class together. It was probably the only thing that kept Emma motivated. She gathered all her paints and brushes and arranged them out when she sensed someone walking behind her. She swiveled around.

The first thing she saw was his chest in front of her face, well-toned and emphasized by his tight gray V-neck that showed off some chest hair she wouldn't mind seeing more of. She gulped slightly and brought her eyes up. They were captured by bright blue ones that left her speechless, not that she was talking in the first place. His jet black hair was slightly tousled, hinting that he'd just woken up or had a quick tryst. Her eyes drifted down his face, looking over his very kissable lips, on down to his scruff, then lower, past his shirt and down to some pleasantly tight black jeans. Before she could make a complete fool out of herself, she snapped her eyes back to his. She was caught off guard again by the intensity of the blue staring back at her, and she gulped. She opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment, the instructor walked in and called for their attention.

"Class, this is Killian Jones," he motioned the model over. Emma's gaze traveled along Killian's back as he walked over. "He's an exchange student from England, and will be our model for the remainder of the semester."

"Actually, Ireland," Jones corrected the teacher, revealing his strong accent.

_Fuck._

Emma knew then that she was screwed, because she couldn't keep the blush rising to her cheeks under control. Ruby made a comment under her breath, something along the effects of 'you know what they say about Irish men' and Emma's cheeks tinged brighter as she pretended to be very interested in one of her older, torn-up paintbrushes.

When the instructor closed the door, Killian began undressing, and Emma was sure her and the rest of the students were openly drooling at the sight. Considering her eyes were fixed on the muscles rippling along Killian's bare back, she couldn't be certain. He folded his clothes neatly in a bundle to the side, and Emma absentmindedly licked her lips. His eyes shot to hers and she turned away, blushing widely, twirling her paintbrush in one hand and pretending to focus on her color palette.

Ten minutes into the class and all Emma had was a vague outline of the model and a permanent image carved into her brain of what Killian Jones's ass looked like. She couldn't concentrate a bit. She pretended not to notice the looks Ruby was giving her. She decided to look at the..._Killian_...more objectively. Just a model. A nude model. A _very_ attractive nude model who was unfairly blessed with an ass that-

Her thoughts were cut off when the instructor called for a break and Killian moved from his stationary position, stretching his arms out, which did interesting things for Emma's imagination, seeing as her eyes were avidly watching below his waistline, the way his cock-

She snapped her head around when she felt Ruby's hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, let's go get a snack," she said, nodding towards the door as Killian dressed. Emma's cheeks burned more and she nodded, clearing her throat and trying to remind herself she had a boyfriend.

"Yeah, ok."

Emma and Ruby walked past him on their way back to class- he had changed back into his shirt and jeans. He chatted away with some friends but caught Emma's eyes with his own, encouraging her to get a death grip on Ruby's upper arm and scurry along. Ruby gave her a glare when they were back in the classroom.

"What the hell was that about?" she demanded, and Emma shrugged.

"I just thought we were gonna be late."

"Right," Ruby rolled her eyes, opening up the bag of chips she'd purchased. She looked around to make sure no one was nearby them.

"So...that new model...can I just say, what a hottie, and holy fuck, I would bang it like a drum. Multiple drums," she smirked. Emma sighed, opening her granola bar wrapper.

"Yeah, sure, I guess."

"What do you mean you guess? He's gorgeous. I mean, I like my men a bit taller, but _damn_. He can_ get it_," Ruby chortled.

"I guess, as in I'm already in a happy relationship," Emma said, glaring at Ruby when the other girl scoffed at the word 'happy'.

"Since when was your relationship happy? All you do is complain about him. Besides, girl, it doesn't hurt to look."

"You know what, I am _not_ having this conversation right now," Emma uncrossed her arms and pulled her red leather jacket off, sitting it on a stool behind her.

"So when class is over, then?" Ruby asked with a crooked smile. Emma gave her a disgruntled look right as Killian walked back in with the instructor close behind him. Both girls ceased their conversation as the model undressed and they continued painting. Or, at least Ruby did, and Emma tried. She usually kept her mind focused whenever they had models, for God's sake, she was a senior and should be used to it by now. But this model was straight out of a catalogue, and though it was her job to look, the problem was she_ couldn't stop looking_, not long enough to transfer vision to canvas.

She was so fucked.

* * *

Emma's eyes moved around the bar as Neal and his group of friends laughed. She was bored- Neal's friends were definitely not her cup of tea. The only reason she was here was to be a designated driver and get Neal back home safely. He'd had driven drunk a few times before and it worried her sick.

She absentmindedly looked at the door when someone walked in, then froze when she saw familiar bright blue eyes staring back at her. A black leather jacket covered a white V-neck, still showing off that chest hair. His hair had been somewhat brushed and Emma had to fight hard to not think about running her fingers through it. Her hormones were off the chart this week. Three sessions with Killian Jones modeling, and she was pretty much hopeless. And now he was running into her personal life as well. At least he was clothed this time.

He jerked his eyes away from her, and Emma could see how long his eyelashes were from where she was sitting. God, could he get any more attractive? It was unfair. Heat ran to her cheeks and she snapped her eyes away from him when Neal suddenly stood up. The rest of his friends gave Killian looks as Neal walked over towards him. Emma frowned. She didn't know the two were friends-

_Whack._

The sound echoed through the bar when Neal punched Killian in the face without warning. Okay, maybe not friends. Emma gasped and found herself rushing over, not really thinking it through as she grabbed Neal's arm right when Killian punched him back, sending her boyfriend toppling backwards into her. She winced when she hit the hard floor- Neal's elbow jabbed her shoulder hard- but got up quickly and brushed herself off.

"God, are you okay?" she heard Killian ask, and fuck, his voice, that accent (it wasn't like she hadn't heard him in class, always with the juvenile comments, but damn, he'd never directly spoken to her) - but Neal was up and ready to fight again, ignoring her. Emma rubbed her shoulder and opened her mouth to respond, yet Neal was at it again.

"Leave before I kick your ass," Neal told him firmly. Killian grinned, looking a bit dangerous, blood shining on his teeth from where Neal had busted his lip open. Neal's right eye was already swelling shut where Killian had socked him.

"It's not your bar, mate," Killian wiped his mouth off, still tensed and ready for more fighting. He seemed merely amused when Neal's friends came over, as if he enjoyed the challenge.

"Yeah, well, you're still not welcome," Neal said. Emma glanced between the two of them with her eyebrows raised. What in the _hell_ was going on? Just as Neal stepped forward to do some real damage, Emma darted in front of him and put her hands out.

"How about we all just go home? You've had enough to drink as it is," she told Neal, trying to negotiate and play the peacemaker role. His eyes darted down towards hers, then back to Killian.

"This isn't your fight, love," Killian said from behind her. Neal growled.

"What, now you're hitting on my girlfriend too?! My mom wasn't enough?!" he demanded and Emma's mouth fell open. She knew Milah and Mr. Gold had been having problems, but she never would have guessed...

"Last time I checked, your mum was a free woman. Perhaps unable to resist me, but still free. And great in bed," Killian smirked, trying to get a rise out of Neal. It worked. Emma was pushed to the side as Neal charged towards him. Killian punched him hard in the gut and he hunched over in pain.

One of Neal's friends stepped forward and grabbed Killian by the lapels of his jacket, another coming at him from the side. They started ganging up on him, and Emma had to back off in order to avoid getting trampled as they began beating on him.

"Okay, okay, let's settle down, boys," came a strong voice from the doorway. They all looked over to see a police officer, poised to take some action if need be. Killian took a step away from Neal and company, or at least tried to. The officer had to get in between him a few of the guys, and was forced to physically pull one off of Killian.

"This guy just punched me out of nowhere," Neal pointed at Killian. The policeman scratched the side of his cheek and looked at Killian, who had a busted lip and battered face, but was still grinning.

"That true?" the officer asked. Emma bit her lip as Killian looked around at the guys and then gave a smirk. The darkness in it sent chills down her spine.

"It wasn't anything he didn't deserve," his eyes landed on Emma and the bruise forming on her shoulder, which was exposed by the navy blue tank top she had worn. Her red leather jacket still hung over the booth she'd been seated in. Killian's eyebrows scrunched together in a flash of concern, but he soon replaced it with a mask of indifference. The police officer's gaze followed his.

"Is that what happened, miss?" he directed his attention towards Emma. Emma opened her mouth to speak as Neal nudged her and gave her a small nod. He wanted her to lie. Her lips twisted to the side- wasn't lying to a police officer some kind of criminal offense? Killian must have seen the panic in her eyes.

"She was at the wash closet when it all happened," he said, cutting her loose from having to answer the man. Emma kept her mouth shut, but her chest was tight with anxiety. She didn't want Killian to get in trouble for something Neal had done, but she apparently didn't know the whole story. Maybe it was better this way, keeping quiet.

The police officer- the name on his shirt read 'Humbert'- turned towards Killian. Killian smiled, blood still staining his teeth.

"I suggest you all leave..." Officer Humbert nodded towards the door.

"Sounds like a plan," Killian shrugged and nodded, and walked out. Not before giving Emma a wink and Neal the finger. Neal bristled beside her. Officer Humbert sighed and turned towards them.

"Let's keep this at a warning where I tell you not to cause trouble. And no drunk driving. Just get home," he said in an exasperated voice before following Killian out the door, completely fed up with college kids.

* * *

Killian came in late for the next class, two days later. Emma was tapping her foot nervously when he walked in. Ruby still hadn't shown, and that made her nervous as well. When she heard the door open, her eyes shot up to see Killian walking in. He looked horrible with dark circles under his eyes, and the side of his mouth bruised. The instructor gave him a raised eyebrow, but Killian just shrugged and smiled, and the class continued as he undressed and posed, though Emma could hear one corner of girls muttering to each other about his ragged appearance.

Unfortunately, the so-called ragged appearance was just as fuckable looking as non-battered Killian. Emma rubbed her thighs together uncomfortably and tugged her jacket closer around her shoulders.

When break came around, she had actually gained a lot of progress on her work. The trick was to completely space out to the music playing on her iPod and keep the name 'Killian Jones' out of her head. She grabbed her phone out of her purse to text Ruby, and jumped when Killian stepped up beside her silently.

"God, don't do that!" Emma chastised him, putting her phone down as her hand flew to her chest. He shot her a crooked smile.

"Why so jumpy, lass?" he asked, and Emma crossed her arms.

"Because you snuck up on me," she said in a condescending manner.

"Well I'll be sure not to do that again. Just for you," he said snarkily. Emma ground her teeth together.

"Why are you even talking to me? Trying to get into another fight with Neal?" she asked him. His eyes darkened.

"He's not worth my time."

"Well, his mother seemed to be," she said, and Killian flinched back as if she had slapped him. He pressed his lips together tightly, hesitating before he spoke. Emma watched him closely, interested.

"Do you know where she is?" he asked.

"Mrs. Gold? She moved out. She and Mr. Gold split up a few weeks ago," Emma said slowly. She was beginning to see that Killian really cared for Neal's mom, but the whole situation left a sour taste in her mouth. Killian gulped and nodded. Emma could see the hurt in his eyes, and she was a little more than shocked at the sincerity. She hadn't considered the possibility that the affair had been something serious, something other than a fling.

"Just wondered," he said in a strained voice. Emma tucked the paintbrush she had been holding behind her ear and gave him a closer look.

"You loved her?" she asked. His eyes met hers and suddenly his eyebrows were scrunched in anger.

"That's not your business, Swan," he said, and darted out of the room, leaving Emma wondering how he knew her last name.

* * *

"Where_ is_ your mom?" Emma was sitting by Neal the next day, cross-legged on their bed. Her hair was pulled back in a lazy bun, and her chin was resting on the fist her hand made as she watched Neal's eyes snap to hers, his attention turned away from his video game as he tensed up visibly.

She knew Mr. and Mrs. Gold had broken up, but she didn't know what for until a couple days ago, thanks to Neal and Killian's bar brawl. Neal's eyes were dark with anger.

"She left about a month ago. Haven't seen her since," he muttered and ran a hand over his face and hair, further displacing it. From what Emma could tell, he hadn't taken his shower for today, and it was well past noon. Her eyebrows shot up. She hadn't seen Mrs. Gold for awhile, but she assumed Neal had. She was his mother, after all.

"Does your dad know where she is?"

"No," Neal shook his head, turning his gaze back towards her. "She just...left. She isn't coming back. And Dad's not been around much either," he said in a pained voice. Emma hesitated before she reached over and rubbed his back, trying to ignore the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. His body tensed more when she touched him, so she finally pulled her hand back to herself and studied him. His eye was still halfway swollen shut from where Killian had hit him, and a dark, painful-looking bruise had formed.

"You need some ice?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"I'm just going to lay down. I'm tired and I have a headache," he sighed, exiting out of his game after saving it.

"Yeah, ok. I'm gonna take a walk, then. I might drop by the gas station, get some cigarettes," she pressed her lips together, reaching over to retrieve her red leather jacket and slip it on over her shoulders. God knows she needed some nicotine.

"See you, babe," Neal nodded, not bothering with a goodbye kiss or hug. Emma frowned and stood. She peeked back as she left to see him laying down.

Once she was out of the apartment complex, she slowly made her way down the sidewalk. She let her hair down and placed the ponytail holder over her wrist. It was about a mile walk from their apartment to the station, giving her plenty of time to think.

Mrs. Gold had never been the happiest woman, but she'd always been kind to Emma. She wanted more in life, but wasn't able to have it- she always hinted at being held back by her family, something Neal held a grudge against her for. But about two months ago, she started acting different. She smiled more, and had a skip in her step that Emma couldn't help but notice. When Mrs. Gold smiled, it lit up the whole room.

"You alright, love?"

Emma's head jerked up. She had been startled by the close proximity of a smooth, accented voice. Killian Jones walked beside her. _Goddammit_, how was he able to sneak up on her like that? She smacked his arm, hard.

"I told you not to do that!" she exclaimed, anger evident in her tone. More than necessary. Killian simply smiled and rubbed his arm.

"You're awfully jumpy. Trouble in paradise?" he arched an eyebrow at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered, crossing her arms, as if that would shield her from him. He remained quiet for a moment. Emma continued walking and he trailed along beside her.

"Any news of Milah?" he asked. Emma blinked before she remembered that was Mrs. Gold's name.

"No...Neal hasn't seen her since..." she waved her hand up, not really wanting to say it out loud. It kind of made her sick that Mrs. Gold would just leave her family like that, with no warning. Her husband, she could understand, but Neal...Neal was her son. If Emma ever had children, she promised herself she would never abandon them. Not like she had been abandoned.

"She hasn't answered any of my calls. Or texts. Or anything," Killian said quietly, speaking aloud to himself.

"Well maybe that's because you fucked up her marriage,"Emma said, trying to fuel spite into her voice. Anything to get him away. She could see why he'd been such a temptation to Mrs. Gold, but she couldn't let it happen to her. Especially not with how things were now, it'd be too weird. And causing more problems for Neal would just be selfish.

"I did _not_," he growled, his head snapping towards her as he stopped in his tracks. Emma paused also, her face turning back to him curiously. She was surprised by the vehemence in his words and the indignant flash of his eyes. Alright, it had been a low blow on her part, but she wasn't going to say sorry. She barely knew the guy, and her boyfriend hated him. She was supposed to be supporting Neal in this, right?

"That marriage was over for a long time, before I even came here. Milah was going to leave him, she was going to come home with me, back to Ireland, once the college year was over, we were going to be together-" his voice cracked with longing and he had to stop talking. Emma stared at him, not knowing what to say to that. The two of them were all but strangers, and here he was, pouring his heart out to her. It occurred to her that he might not have anyone else, and sympathy flooded her. She knew the feeling.

"Are you sure she didn't just say that to-"

"To what? Get me in bed? Have a good _fuck_?" Killian spat, leaning closer to Emma. "She_ loved_ me. And we were going to run away together- but then your bloody boyfriend had to ruin it all. She begged him not to tell his father, but he did anyway, out of spite."

Emma shook her head when Killian paused. "He was just angry-"

"_Stop it_. Stop making excuses for him!" Killian yelled, now invading her personal space. Emma tensed as Killian took a deep breath, moving back and closing his eyes. When he opened them, he seemed calmer. Emma's eyes were glued to his face, attempting to predict his actions.

"I'm worried about her," he gulped, "I'm worried that her husband did something to her. She wouldn't just _leave_ like this, she wouldn't have. She wouldn't have," he repeated, as if the more he said it, the more true it would become. She could see the pain in his eyes, and knew that it was very real. She also glimpsed some fear, fear of being abandoned, and her throat tightened. This was all too familiar. She felt a sudden connection to him, and had to stop herself from taking a step towards him. Emma stood awkwardly, torn between wanting to run from him and wanting to comfort him. Killian's eyes moved up from the sidewalk back to hers.

_Yeah, she wanted to run._

"Killian-" she began, but he interrupted her again.

"Save it, Swan," he breathed out. She chewed her bottom lip.

"Why are you here?" she asked. They were nowhere near the college, and no bars or hotspots were around. Unless Killian's apartment or place of residence was nearby, he had no reason to be here.

"I was on my way to...to her house," he admitted with a shrug, stumbling over the words.

"She's not there," Emma frowned.

"_He_ is."

"What are you going to do? Beat him up because his wife is gone?" Emma scoffed and raised an eyebrow.

"No...no. I'm just going to look around. Try to find out where she is," Killian defended himself, looking quite determined.

"And what if you get caught? You're already on radar with your bar brawl" she reminded him. She would appreciate it if he didn't go to prison or got himself deported. Her art class still needed a model, after all. As if that were all Emma cared about.

"That wasn't exactly my fault, princess."

"Don't call me that. And yeah, it was. You lied and said you started it. Why?"

"Because I did. I was following him to try and find out if he knew anything about...about Milah. I shouldn't have gone in that bar. I knew he would react the way he did."

"Then why did you do it?" Emma questioned him more.

"Because I needed a punch or two for losing her," he said quietly. A few beats of silence hung between them before Emma spoke.

"I'm sure you'll find her," Emma frowned, pulling her hair back out of her face.

Killian eyed her, but said nothing. He started walking in the direction of the Gold residence. Emma went after him, grabbing his wrist. She ignored the tingle that went down her spine at the skin-to-skin contact. God, she needed to get control of herself.

"Wait,_ wait, _just hold on a sec. You're just going to get in trouble if you try breaking in," she said, trying to reason with him. The bar incident proved that Killian was the type of person to punish himself. She worried that he was also the kind of person that disciplined themselves past the point of penance and into the category of self-destruction.

"I don't _care_," Killian said, twisting his hand away from her.

"Come on. How is you getting locked up in jail going to help Mrs. Gold?" Emma asked him, trying to sound convincing.

Killian's jaw worked as he tried to think of a good response to her argument. Emma sighed, her shoulders dropping.

"If you're going, you should take me with you. I know how to get in," she said - only halfway believing the words tumbling out of her mouth. She couldn't let him go in there alone. Finding out you had truly been abandoned by someone you loved was hard enough- being forced to accept it when the facts were laid out in front of you was worse.

"No way," he turned his back to her again as he continued to walk. Emma caught up with him easily.

"Ha! Like you can stop me?" she asked. He side-eyed her as he continued his fast pace.

"Why are you following me?" he grumbled. The Gold's house came into sight and Emma gulped.

"I...I'm not letting you go alone," she said uncertainly. Why was she following him? Why did she even care?

Killian must have decided ignoring her was the best option, because he said no more until they came up to the house. Rolled up newspapers littered the porch, and the mailbox was stuffed full of bills and letters. The two of them exchanged looks.

"I don't think Milah was the only one to leave," Killian said in a hushed voice, stepping up to the front door. He turned the doorknob, and glanced back at Emma when he found it was unlocked. Emma nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other, standing behind him. He took a deep breath.

The wooden door opened with a creak as Killian slowly walked inside. Emma was hit hard by the smell of cat urine and litter. She coughed and held her shirt up over her nose as she stepped in behind him. The odor was strong enough to burn her eyes. What in the_ hell_? She knew Mr. Gold had a fondness for cats, so she doubted he would leave the many he had behind if he left for an extended amount of time. She made a small noise that stuck in her throat when her boot made a crunching noise, falling on something gritty. _Why_ was there cat litter all over the floor?

"What the fuck," Killian said under his breath as they walked into the living room. The litter trailed to the bathroom. Emma gulped, and Killian reached out and took her hand, gripping it tightly as they hesitantly made their way along the trail. Emma's heart was pounding, afraid of what they might find, and her palm sweated in Killian's hand, their fingers laced together. A sense of foreboding kept washing over her, and she squeezed Killian's hand back when he opened the door.

Emma held back a scream. Killian didn't. The wounded, strangled cry he let out broke Emma's heart. She trembled as Killian fell down to his knees, still holding her hand, but now with a death grip. She quickly jumped in front of him to shield him from the view, wanting to protect him. Her arms got around him somehow, and he held onto her tightly, shaking like a leaf and letting out half-choked sobs, along with a name, repeated over and over desperately. Emma held herself together, if only for him.

"Come on, come on, let's get out," Emma heard herself say in a tight voice, tugging at his hand, needing to get him out of here. It took a few minutes before he responded to her words, and followed in a daze as she dragged him out of the bathroom, out of the goddamn house, away from the sight engraved in her mind of Milah's bloated, decaying corpse, staring up sightlessly at the ceiling as she floated in the water-filled bathtub.


	2. I Loved Her

"I knew her, yeah," Emma answered Officer Humbert from where she was standing to the side. Killian was sitting on the edge of the sidewalk, and Emma was afraid he was about to go in shock. His arms were resting over his knees and he was staring blankly at nothing in particular. His tears had dried, but the marks left on his cheeks by them still remained.

"Any clue where Mr. Gold is?"

"No. Um, her son, her son is my boyfriend, he needs to be called, and-" Emma took a deep breath, and Officer Humbert put a hand on her shoulder. She attempted to calm herself, but her heart was beating too fast.

"Do you need to sit down?" he asked, looking concerned. Emma glanced towards the front door of the Gold house, where they were wheeling the full body bag out. She looked down at Killian, but he hadn't noticed. His back was to the house and he was still staring at the street. Emma's stomach lurched.

"No, God, I-" she stumbled over her words, running a hand over her face.

"You need to sit down," he said, motioning towards his cruiser. Emma looked over at Killian and ignored his suggestion.

"I think he's in shock," she said in a quiet voice. Officer Humbert's eyes landed on Killian. Emma wavered where she was standing. What would Neal think of her and Killian being the ones to find...the body? He always came to the worst conclusions, so it wouldn't be anything good.

She gave Officer Humbert a weak smile as he led her over to sit sideways in the backseat of his car, legs hanging out, toes brushing against the pavement.

"Thanks, officer," she muttered.

"You can call me Graham," he said distractedly as he wrote on a notepad. Emma's eyebrows shot up.

"Isn't that a bit unprofessional?" she asked. Graham shrugged.

"It's my name. Can't do much harm."

"Is Killian going to be okay?" she looked over to where another policeman was talking to him, or at least attempting to. Killian wasn't talking back.

"Yeah, I think. What was his relation to Mrs. Gold?" Graham asked, looking over his notepad to Emma.

"Uh, it's complicated, I guess. They were...sleeping together," Emma bit her bottom lip.

"Huh. Alright, then," Graham said as he jotted more notes down. After a few more questions, he asked for Neal's number, and Emma rattled it off to him.

"You want me to give you a ride home?" Graham asked her. Emma hesitated, looking over to Killian. He didn't seem to be registering much of what was happening.

"I...I think I'll stay with Killian," she answered. Graham crossed his arms.

"Okay. Does he need a ride home?"

"I don't know-" Emma began, but cut herself off when she saw Neal walk onto the scene.

_God. He shouldn't be here._ She could just see him demanding to see his mother's body…

"Alright?" Graham asked, putting a hand on her arm. Emma nodded distractedly, brushing him off as she slowly stood and headed over to Neal, but by that point, Neal had laid eyes on Killian.

Killian's eyes were red and he still looked shocked, but that didn't seem to faze Neal. He dove towards him; his fist landed solidly against his cheek. Graham cursed, and he and a few other officers rushed to pull Neal off Killian.

"You _bastard_! You killed her!" Neal snarled. He fought against the officers trying to hold him back. Killian finally looked up at him, with a dead weight in his eyes, but he seemed to be more aware of his surroundings now that a large bruise was forming under his left eye.

"Get a grip, man!" Graham yelled at Neal. He obviously didn't want to hurt him, but if Neal kept it up, he'd have to.

Then Emma rushed over, and went to Neal's side.

"Neal, it wasn't his fault. Come on, you shouldn't be here," she tried to reason with him. He stopped fighting the police (who had continued trying to talk him down) and turned to Emma with his eyes ablaze.

"Neither should you. What were you doing here? With _him_?" he demanded. Emma's mouth opened, but she couldn't explain herself. Graham made eye contact with her, and put more pressure on Neal's shoulder with his hand.

"Come on, uh, Neal," he tried to find the proper way to address him. Neal stiffened for a moment, but then went along. He was still glaring at Emma as Graham pulled him away and over to a cruiser.

Emma had never seen a dead body before, let alone a decomposed one. The nauseous feelings were starting to rise again when Graham went to talk to Killian. He left Neal with some others. Apparently Killian had refused a ride, and Graham motioned for the paramedics to check him. Emma gave Killian and Neal one last glance before accepting Graham's second offer for a ride home. She needed out.

* * *

"Do you need company until Neal returns? I'm off duty soon," said Graham as they pulled up to the apartment complex several minutes later. Emma chewed her bottom lip. She stayed still in the passenger seat and weighed her options. All she knew for certain was that she didn't want to be alone, but she could always go over to Ruby's place. But Ruby would want to know all the details. Emma wasn't ready for those questions. She could only imagine sitting through the interrogation while Ruby would want to know why she was with Killian in the first place.

Graham seemed to sense her reluctance to answer.

"I can...watch the complex for you from outside, if that's not too creepy," he chuckled.

"No," Emma said automatically. That would be crossing the professional line, wouldn't it? She thought so. And she had enough problems with two men in her life. She didn't need another one.

"Alright," Graham sighed, and Emma opened her door. "Good night."

She didn't say anything back as she headed to the empty apartment.

* * *

It only two days before she saw Killian again. She was surprised- she hadn't expected him to still be modeling for their classes, but he was. She caught him during break, where they sat together on a bench and Ruby eyed them from afar. She noted the extra pallor to his skin and the dark circles under his eyes that added to the black bruise that had formed. It looked like he hadn't been sleeping.

"You going to be alright?" Emma asked.

"No," he said, his smile forced. She tugged at a strand of her hair, not sure what to say to that.

"Are you going back to Ireland?" She tried to change the subject somewhat, not wanting to linger on his apparent misery.

"I don't have anything to go back to. I might as well stay here and finish college," he shrugged, eyes cast downwards towards his feet.

"What about the funeral?"she asked before she could think. _Great fucking job, Emma._

"...No. I'm not invited, anyway," he said softly.

"It's open to anyone," she tried to encourage him, her fingers tapping on the bench nervously.

"I doubt it's open to me, according to your boyfriend," Killian answered snidely, looking up at her. She squirmed, unsettled by his intense and accusing gaze.

"But you cared about her," she tried to continue the conversation.

"I _loved_ her," he corrected her, spine straightening so he sat up straight. There was a long moment of silence between them that made Emma want to crawl out of her skin.

"Have the police been questioning you?"she finally asked after racking her brain for topics.

"Yeah. All suspicions are on Mr. Gold, for now," he said, looking back down.

"Well he obviously did it...didn't he?" Emma frowned.

"Yes. But dear Neal would like to pin it on me," he looked to her again, only this time, instead of indignant, he looked ten kinds of sad.

"I'll talk to him," Emma twisted her lips to the side.

"Sure you will," he scoffed and ran a hand through his hair before scratching the side of his neck.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice sincere. His head turned towards her.

"Save it," he said angrily, eyes a spark away from shooting fire in her direction. Emma flinched slightly, her hands gripping together. She got up to leave. Killian sighed and the fire dwindled as he shook his head.

"Swan...thanks," he stopped her. Emma paused.

"For what?"she asked. She wasn't the best support system, after all.

"For...nevermind," he shrugged and checked the time. "We're due back in class." With that, he disappeared back inside. Emma let out a resigned sigh and followed after him.

* * *

That evening, she finally had the chance to talk to Neal. He'd slept on the couch the past few nights and had been spending more time than usual on campus. Emma didn't know what to think of it, except that he wasn't happy about her being with Killian when the body was discovered, and therefore didn't want to be near her.

"Neal," she said. She stood in the doorway of the bathroom and watched him finish brushing his teeth. He avoided eye contact with her, but she looked squarely at him through the mirror.

"What?" he asked after aggressively spitting toothpaste out of his mouth and washing it down the drain. His voice was cold.

"We...should talk," she said carefully; she didn't want to sound too ominous.

"About?"

"About your dad. And why you're wanting to blame...all this...on Killian," she said bravely. She could see his eyes flash with anger from the reflection in the mirror.

"Because it's _his fault_," he spat and finally faced her. Emma took a small step forward and reached out to touch him. He tensed when her hand made contact with his arm, but she ignored it.

"Killian wouldn't have," she said.

"What, and you know him so well to determine that?" he sneered.

"He's...a friend." She dropped her hand back to her side.

"How exactly did this friendship blossom?" he asked. She noted the heat still in his expression. And the alcohol on his breath.

"He's a model for my art class." She figured honesty would be the best policy here, though she conveniently left out the fact that Killian was a _nude_ model.

"How fucking sweet," he said. His tone was ridiculing her, and it made her temper flare.

"What the fuck's wrong with that?" she shot back.

"Absolutely nothing. I just don't see why you have to get all buddy-buddy with him," he growled.

"Look, I didn't know he was screwing your mother, alright?"

"Shut the **FUCK** up!" Neal yelled angrily. He had put the toothbrush away, and his fists were clenched at his side. Emma's eyebrows shot up.

"I most certainly_ will not_. You can't fucking avoid everything, Neal," she said. Anger was beginning to seep into her own voice.

"I don't want to talk about this. Just stay away from Killian," he ordered her, gruffly.

"You're being stubborn, he's really not that bad of a guy, and I think he really did _feel_ something. Just-"

She was cut off when something hard hit the side of her face.

Disorientated, she looked up and realized she had landed on the ground and Neal was looming over her. Shock took her for a few long seconds as she took in the fact that he had hit her.

_Bastard._

"Stop fucking defending him, you're _pathetic_!" Neal yelled. Emma sprung back up to her feet. Her palms found his chest and pushed him, hard. As hard as she could. But thanks to football training, it didn't do much good. He stumbled, and the back of his legs hit the bathtub, but he remained standing. Unimpressed with her defense, she then slapped him. He growled and started towards her, but Emma spoke first.

"If you ever fucking hit me again, you'll be sorry," she seethed. Anger made her face bright red and her muscles shake. She was almost aching to punch him.

"Sorry how? What are you going to do?" he demanded.

"This," Emma said, and turned her back to him as she went to walk out the door. She left her things behind her, and heard Neal screaming insults behind her. Tears misted her eyes but she kept them held back until she hit the sidewalk.

She had nowhere to go.

It was beginning to get chilly with the setting sun, and she was only wearing a tank top. She grabbed her arms to try to fight the cold. She walked aimlessly down the side of the road, and hiccuped back tears. She soon found herself alone in the dark.

She barely noticed the police cruiser pulling over to her until the window rolled down and she saw Graham peering out at her.

"Emma?" he asked, worried. She bit her bottom lip, afraid to talk incase tears would escape with her words. Graham parked the car and got out, going over to her and putting an arm around her shoulder. She was numb as he spoke to her and she couldn't quite make out the words, but he led her into the passenger seat and she went willingly.


	3. You're A Terrible Liar

She was dreading going to class the next Monday. No matter what she did with her makeup, she couldn't completely conceal the bruise that shone on the side of her face. She knew Ruby would be asking questions, and would be as curious as always. She jumped when a knock sounded on the bathroom door.

"I'm headed off to work. If you need anything call me," Graham said from the other side of the door.

She had been wary of him at first, but he had gave her space. She was sleeping on the pull out mattress in the living room; he had offered her his own room to begin with, but she had refused. He was going to enough trouble for her as it was.

"Alright," she called back. She didn't bother to open the door- she was clad only in a towel a the moment. She heard Graham walk out the front door, and she looked into the mirror again.

She was so screwed. What would be a good explanation to tell people? Saying she fell was out of the question; that was one of the oldest lines in the book. Perhaps if she said she got into a fight with another girl? Ruby might believe her. It wasn't like she hadn't been in fist fights before. She sighed and began brushing her hair. Ruby would just have to be satisfied with that, and otherwise keep her nose out of things.

The lie went over fine with Ruby, who seemed distracted anyway. Emma mentioned that she was looking for a job, and Ruby had nodded slightly and agreed, too focused on setting out her art supplies. Right now, the only thing keeping Emma in school was the scholarships and grants she'd managed to somehow snag. She had worked hard to get out of the train wreck of her past life, and she refused to let herself fail, though she did realize she had been relying too heavily on Neal for support.

Her chest tightened when she thought of him; he had hit her, so why was she so worried about him? She was the one who kept him on schedule and kept him from drinking too much._ What is he going to do without me?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by none other than Killian.

"What happened?" were the first words out of his mouth. Emma hesitated, not expecting the question from him.

"I, uh, there was a fight. I was in a fight. With a girl," she clarified. She knew it sounded like bullshit the minute it left her mouth.

"What girl?" he asked. He clearly saw through her lie.

"Some bitch from my Psychology class," Emma answered.

"Sure," he said suspiciously. His eyes lingered on her bruised face.

"Well, that's the truth," she said indignantly. Killian pressed his lips together, drawing her eyes to them.

"You're a terrible liar, Swan," he said in a snide voice before he moved to the other side of the classroom and began undressing, leaving Emma at a loss for words as she stared shamelessly at his exposed skin. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him before like this, but, now that she was a single woman...

She quickly banished that train of thought.

* * *

Killian caught up with Emma after class, and she jumped when his hand touched her arm. She looked over her shoulder at him with wide eyes.

"What?" she asked, angry that he had snuck up on her like that.

"Do you want to come have lunch with me? We could go to the Nickel," he said, referring to the small diner on campus.

"Why?"

"I wanted to talk about a few things," he said, with a hint of desperation in his voice. Emma packed up the rest of her paintbrushes before turning towards him.

"Alright," she agreed. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and crossed her arms.

"Come along then, Swan," he smiled just barely, and gestured for her to lead the way.

"After you," she raised an eyebrow at him. His smile widened as he acquiesced.

* * *

"Have the...police talked to you at all?" Emma asked after swallowing a bite of cheeseburger. Killian looked up at her.

"Some. They asked me where I was, and my...what my relationship was like with her. They're more convinced it was...him, though. He fled the state. I had an alibi," he said quickly, and continued eating his fries. He seemed to shut down after the question, and they ate in silence for several minutes.

"Why did you ask me here? What do you want to talk about?" Emma finally said, not able to bear the anticipation.

"I...I don't know," he said slowly, and looked over at her. Emma raised an eyebrow.

"You said-"

"I know I said I wanted to talk about things, but really...I just wanted to talk," he shrugged and looked down at his plate.

"Just talk?" she repeated dumbly.

"Yeah, why, did you have something else in mind?" he asked with a suggestive smirk. She rolled her eyes.

"You know I can see right through that."

"See through what?" he asked and tensed slightly.

"Your little innuendo game. You're just trying to distract me, which is weird. If you wanted to talk to me, how come you keep pushing me away?"she asked, and her voice became somewhat heated. She didn't mean to sound so angry at him, but the circumstances of the last few days were shortening her temper. Killian's eyes turned dark and hooded.

"How'd you really get that bruise?"he questioned her in response. Emma was taken aback, and her mouth popped open without an answer. She darted her eyes from him to her almost finished burger, and then decided that she was being a hypocrite; she was pushing him away, and then accusing him of doing the same. But it wasn't like she'd ever asked him to go to lunch with her. Who said she wanted his company? _If you didn't want his company, you could have said no. There were a million excuses you could have made._

Her mouth set in a firm line as she looked at Killian again.

"Neal," she said. After finding a dead body together, they were past the point of lies.

"How hard did you hit him back?" he asked, and surprised her again.

"Not hard enough," she muttered, "I left him."

"And where are you staying?" he raised an eyebrow. Her cheeks tinged pink without her permission.

"Graham's."

"As in Officer Humbert?" he asked. It was his turn to be shocked.

"Yep," she said, with her tone clipped.

"Emma, you don't have to stay_ there_ if you don't want to, I mean, I have space…"

"No, it's fine," Emma shook her head. "Graham's a good guy. I'm sleeping in the living room. He has a pull out mattress." Killian seemed to settle down at those words, and nodded, looking distracted again.

"Alright. You'd better eat your fries before I do, Swan," he teased and gestured towards her plate. Emma rolled her eyes, but gave him a small smile as she slipped another fry into her mouth.

* * *

"I need a job," were the first words out of Emma's mouth when she walked into Graham's living room that evening. Her hair was messed up and she looked stressed from a long day at school. Graham looked up at her in surprise.

"Why?" he asked. He closed the book he was reading and set it down on the coffee table. Emma sighed and set her backpack down on the counter, before plopping down on the chair across from him and cradling her head in her hands.

"Because. I can't stay here forever," she mumbled. Worry lines appeared in her forehead.

"You don't have to worry about that. Not yet, at least. It's only been a few days," Graham frowned and leaned forward with his attention on her.

"I do, though. I rarely take help from people, and this...this is a big debt, what you're doing. It just doesn't settle with me, especially when you're not getting anything in return. Once I get a job, I can get out of here and find a way to pay you back once I'm out of your hair." Emma said all of this very quickly, and Graham looked lost after the second sentence.

"Emma, no, this...this is fine. You aren't bothering me or inconveniencing me, I promise. You can stay here as long as you need to. Besides, I enjoy your company," he added, and then blushed as he realized that could be taken inappropriately. But Emma didn't mind; she knew what he meant. She'd felt her share of loneliness.

"I still need to get a job," she said stubbornly, but her tone had softened. Graham sighed and scratched the top of his head.

"Well. I believe the diner down the street, Granny's, is hiring. You can check in there, and I'll be sure to give you a recommendation. That is, if you're into waitressing," he smiled. Emma smiled back.

"I've done my share of serving food. I'll check into it tomorrow after class. Thank you, Graham," she said, and stood up and slung her backpack over her shoulder. "I'm going to go get some homework done."

**A/N: This chapter is shorter than usual, but you guys deserved an update.**


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